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CuddleCot

Deaconess Foundation is honored to work with the Konrath family to raise money to supply a CuddleCot to The Women's Hospital at Deaconess Gateway in Southern Indiana. Learn more about CuddleCot technology and the Konrath family's special story.

"Not all twins walk side by side. Sometimes one has wings to fly."
Picture by All Things Newborns - January 2017

The Konrath's Story:
On Sunday November 20th, 2016 we received the devastating news no parents want to hear, "I'm so sorry, Baby A no longer has a heartbeat." It had been a difficult twin pregnancy, with many ultrasounds and ultimately a Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome diagnosis that sent us to Cincinnati Children's Hospital at 25 weeks gestation for laser surgery in hopes to give Baby A, Adler Henry, and his identical twin brother, Everett Wells, both a fighting chance to survive. Five weeks after surgery passed and we believed our boys were doing fantastic. The finish line of our 36 week scheduled cesarean section was in clear view and besides some moderate restrictions, we felt we could finally relax a little before we became a family of five.

Then that terrible Sunday arrived where I (Erin) went to the Deaconess Women's Hospital OB GYN ER for decreased fetal movement and we learned Adler had gained his wings to heaven. I was admitted into the hospital and gave birth to my boys two days later at 30 weeks and 5 days gestation by emergency cesarean. Everett was rushed to the NICU after birth and Adler was brought to us for the first time while in recovery. I held Adler in my arms as they wheeled me back to my hospital room and it is there that some family members were able to see him, hold him, and have pictures taken.

But the longer Adler's precious body was out of the hospital's Angel Room (baby morgue), the more it began to change in front of our eyes, so we sent him back. The nursing staff was so wonderful about asking if we wanted them to bring Adler to our room or if we wanted to go and see him in the Angel Room, but we were too scared that the more we brought him out of cool air, the more he would change. It broke my already broken heart when I would have to turn down each new nurse or patient care tech that would offer to bring Adler to us or ask to take us to him. But no parent wants to see their child deteriorate in front of their eyes and have that as their last mental picture to carry with them the rest of their lives. A CuddleCot (which keeps a deceased infant's body cool and preserved) would have allowed Adler to stay in our room where we could have spent more time adoring his sweet features, kissing his chubby cheeks, and simply just being by his side. Instead, we unfortunately only had a few hours total with him. A CuddleCot would have given us the gift of time.

Thank you so very much for taking the time to read our story and why we are doing this fundraiser. Our hope is that in donating a CuddleCot to The Women's Hospital in Newburgh, Indiana, it will honor our son and will help future families in our Tri-State area."We're a family of five no matter where we all are." -Erin Konrath​

Pictured: Daniel, Erin, Grady (big brother) and Everett.

Who will benefit from a CuddleCot:
Stillbirth alone occurs in 1 out of 160 pregnancies in the United States as well as many other situations where a baby does not survive. The funds raised will be used to donate a CuddleCot to The Women's Hospital at Deaconess Gateway in southern Indiana in memory of Adler. This specialized equipment gives future families that have lost a baby the gift of time. Time is extremely precious not only for the parents to spend with their child, but important for their grief journey.